Ralph Lauren quietly shuttered its two-year-old 20,000-square-foot store last week. Other brands are expected to close boutiques in a city that has lost its luster for cash-rich mainland Chinese tourists.

Tom Ford Moves Forward on Women’s Collection… Chanel’s Barn Raising…

Tom Ford women’s wear collection is moving closer to reality.

A SINGLE WOMAN?: It looks like a Tom Ford women’s wear collection is moving closer to reality. According to markets sources in Europe, Ford has quietly begun recruiting designers, including accessories specialists, for the forthcoming launch. Last year Ford signaled he would reenter women’s “very soon,” but has been mum on dates and specifics. On Thursday, a spokeswoman for the designer had no comment.

Meanwhile, though he’s not up for any Oscars, himself, Ford still has reason to look forward to the Academy Awards on Sunday — and not just because his “A Single Man” star Colin Firth is a Best Actor nominee. Ford will dress hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin for the telecast. The funnymen will be wearing Tom Ford black, single-breasted tuxedos with grosgrain peak lapels, white pique front shirts, as well as black grosgrain cummerbunds and bow ties. And Baldwin apparently has a costume change, as WWD has learned he’ll also be wearing a navy blue, single-breasted tuxedo with a grosgrain peak lapel at some point during the ceremony.

JUST CAUSE: PPR chairman and chief executive officer François-Henri Pinault will celebrate International Women’s Day a day early by hosting a charity screening on Sunday of “Desert Flower,” the film adaptation of the autobiography of Waris Dirie. With Ethiopian actress and model Liya Kebede in the starring role, the movie charts Dirie’s rise from nomadic goatherd to top model and campaigner against female genital mutilation. Dirie, who sits on the board of PPR, is expected to join guests at a brunch and screening at the Théâtre Marigny.

BARN RAISING: Re-creating elements of its spring runway show, Chanel set up a barn in London’s Selfridges department store Thursday, where it is showcasing its collection of temporary tattoos. The space, which will operate for two weeks, features a private area where people can have transfers applied. Les Trompe L’oeil de Chanel, which includes 55 tattoo transfers, is priced at 49 pounds, or $74 at current exchange.

WEAR THE UNION LABEL: Workers United wants celebrities to be recognized as much for what they’re not wearing as what they are wearing on the Oscar red carpet Sunday. The union, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union that includes apparel and textile manufacturing workers, is calling upon actors to boycott Hugo Boss during Hollywood’s big day because of the company’s decision to shut down its lone U.S. plant in Ohio in April. The union enlisted Danny Glover to circulate a letter to dozens in his profession, most notably the male presenters and nominees, asking them to steer clear of Hugo Boss suits and sport pins in solidarity with the more than 300 workers expected to lose their jobs as a result of the plant closing. “We were aware of the importance that Hugo Boss places on the big name celebrities showcasing their brand,” said Workers United spokesman Eric Sharfstein. “We should make people aware of what they are doing to the average person, and the Oscars are a forum to do that.” Although Hugo Boss wouldn’t comment specifically on Workers United’s anti-Hugo Boss Oscar campaign, a company spokesman described shuttering the Ohio plant as “a difficult business decision and not one taken lightly.”

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@rebeccaminkoff is bringing self-checkout to high fashion: The brand has partnered with @queuehop to bring its customers self-checkout options, beginning this holiday season at its SoHo store. (📷: @aurorarosephoto)